rched against Romulus;
that which went against Fidenae got the victory, and slew two thousand
Romans; the other was worsted by Romulus, with the loss of eight
thousand men. A fresh battle was fought near Fidenae, and here all men
acknowledge the day's success to have been chiefly the work of Romulus
himself, who showed the highest skill as well as courage, and seemed to
manifest a strength and swiftness more than human. But what some write,
that, of fourteen thousand that fell that day, above half were slain
by Romulus's own hand, verges too near to fable, and is, indeed, simply
incredible: since even the Messenians are thought to go too far in
saying that Aristomenes three times offered sacrifices for the death of
a hundred enemies, Lacedaemonians, slain by himself. The army being thus
routed, Romulus, suffering those that were left to make their escape,
led his forces against the city; they, having suffered such great
losses, did not venture to oppose, but, humbly suing him, made a league
and friendship for an hundred years; surrendering also a large district
of land called Septempagium, that is, the seven parts, as also their
salt-works upon the river, and fifty noblemen for hostages. He made his
triumph for this on the Ides of October, leading, among the rest of his
many captives, the general of the Veientes, an elderly man, but who
had not, it seemed, acted with the prudence of age; whence even now, in
sacrifices for victories, they led an old man through the market-place
to the Capitol, appareled in purple, with a bulla, or child's toy, tied
to it, and the crier cries, "Sardians to be sold;" for the Tuscans are
said to be a colony of the Sardians, and the Veientes are a city of
Tuscany.

This was the last battle Romulus ever fought; afterwards he, as
most, nay all men, very few excepted, do, who are raised by great and
miraculous good-haps of fortune to power and greatness, so, I say, did
he: relying upon his own great actions and growing of a haughtier mind,
he forsook his popular behavior for kingly arrogance, odious to the
people; to whom in particular the state which he assumed was hateful.
For he dressed in scarlet, with the purple-bordered robe over it; he
gave audience on a couch of slate, having always about him some young
men called "Celeres," from their swiftness in doing commissions. He
suddenly disappeared on the Nones of July, as they call the month which
was then Quintilis, leaving nothing of certain